Would anyone have recommendations on ideal “CPU Usage Limit” & “RTAS Processing” settings for a quad core system running Pro Tools LE version 7.4 with the digi002? I realize that each situation will have different recording & creative requirements, so I’m asking about general guidelines here.

For the record, I’ll be using EWQLSO as my main sample library, with up to 48 audio tracks (via DV Toolkit) running more or less simultaneously.

Don’t plan on running any other major software on this system (apart from Finale). The idea is to get as much out of the system as possible…any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Make sure you have all the latest plugin updates. Significant amounts of RTAS spiking can often often caused by older plugs that need updating. Sometimes when you have a plugin that is less than 100% RTAS compliant (Native Instruments were famous for this I beleive) reducing the RTAS procesing by one processer can help the computer deal with the non complaint code. The Mac Pro users do this some times.

Thanks for your insights, Sunburst79 – much appreciated. I contacted the manufacturer about the motherboard, and will post the info when I get a reply. FYI, I don’t own the system yet, but plan to upgrade from an older, single core system.

BTW, that RTAS spiking you speak of…would/could it manifest itself in a sharp, burst of hissing emanating from the speakers at random times? I have this issue with my current set up, hence the need to upgrade...(process of elimination leads to computer issue).

Thanks for your insights, Sunburst79 – much appreciated. I contacted the manufacturer about the motherboard, and will post the info when I get a reply. FYI, I don’t own the system yet, but plan to upgrade from an older, single core system.

BTW, that RTAS spiking you speak of…would/could it manifest itself in a sharp, burst of hissing emanating from the speakers at random times? I have this issue with my current set up, hence the need to upgrade...(process of elimination leads to computer issue).

No. Erratic RTAS spikes will stall Pro Tool's and throw up "Not enough CPU" type errors. Pro Tools will grind to a halt on a system with seemingly plenty of headroom.

While not a white noise issue improper clocking will cause random clicks and pops. So will having the "Ignore Errors During Record/Playback" checked in the RTAS engine dialog in the Playback Engine Dialog. Some places to check first while hunting for noises.

As I recall some white noise issues have been traced to odd ball grounding issues and bad plugins. Not a area I have payed a lot of attention too since its not been a problem for me.

Thanks again for your reply. It’s curious - checked all of the above and the system (on the surface) checks out OK. Think it could be a latency issue?

The problem of jolting speaker hiss appears to occur only when playing back large files (roughly 30 + audio tracks – audio files only, no midi) with many articulations per track. Otherwise smaller files sound clean as a whistle.